Abilities

Activated abilities include any abilities that require some sort of cost, and always include a colon. For example, the card Royal Assassin has an activated ability that reads: "Tap: Destroy target tapped creature."

Triggered abilities require a specific event to occur. For example, the card Verdant Force has a triggered ability that says "At the beginning of each upkeep, put a 1/1 green Saproling creature token onto the battlefield." Other triggered abilities include some keywords like Morbid, which grants a bonus only if a creature died during its casting turn.

Defender

Double Strike

A creature with double strike deals damage during the first combat damage step alongside creatures with first strike, then additionally deal damage during the second damage step along with regular creatures.

Flash

Flying

Creatures with the static ability Flying cannot be blocked except by other creatures with either flying or creatures with the static ability Reach. Creatures with flying can block other creatures with or without flying.

Haste

Haste is a static ability that allows creatures to ignore the affliction informally known as "Summoning Sickness". This means that they can attack and use activated abilities with the tap symbol on the same turn they enter the battlefield.

Hexproof

Hexproof is a static ability that causes the affected permanent to be unable to be targeted by spells or abilities your opponents control. Permanents with hexproof can still be targeted by spells or abilities you control.

Indestructible

Intimidate

Intimidate is a static ability which restricts the types of creatures that can block a creature with intimidate. A creature with intimidate can't be blocked, except by artifact creatures and by creatures that share a color with it.

Vigilance

Other Keywords

Banding

Banding is a legacy ability once considered part of the main game, but is no longer supported. Banding is when two or more creatures with banding, temporally 'band' together, or team up to attack. It becomes one creature, it can do so to either attack or block. If the majority of the creatures have a certain skill, say 'flying' all the creatures fly until the band is disbanded.

Flanking

Phasing

Phasing is a static ability that every other turn (besides the turn it was summoned) the creature exiles itself. It cannot attack, block, or be targeted by spells, even those that unexile it. All enchantments stay on it, and the next turn, it unexiles itself, it has no summoning sickness.